Ranks, Titles and Positions In The Mafia
Overview it can take many years to become a member in the mafia, but In order to become a "Made Man" which is a fully initiated member in the mafia, you have to commit a murder or in some cases many murders. You have to be 100% Italian. You have to be a tough, smart, street wise guy. You must be a good money-maker for the mafia. Most of all you have to be sponsored by two high-ranking "made" members in the mafia. If you are chosen to become a member of the Mafia, you have to go through an initiation ceremony in which you pledge an oath to the mafia’s code of silence, called Omerta. This essentially means that you’re putting the Mafia before all else, including God and your own family, and you will do anything for the mafia, and kill for your fellow mobster's, and you will be in the mafia for life, and the only way out is death, and that if you ever get pinched, you vow not to rat on anyone. if you break the mafia's code of silence that will earn you a death sentence. With this ritual behind you, you can now be welcomed into a new “family,” and from this point on you’re officially a "Made Man", "Goodfella", "mafioso", or "wise guy" and you're considered to be untouchable, a member in the Mafia, non member, civilian, or even a cop or anybody can not kill you, touch you, or put a hand on you, if anybody does without permission from the Commission, that will cause them to be killed, a slow and painful death. If you have a beef with someone outside of the Mafia, you can go to the men above you to seek guidance and protection. In return for this support, you must agree to cough up a certain percentage of your criminal earnings to these higher-ranking members.. Titles, Ranks And Positions Associates Associates are not actual members of the Mafia, but they work for the Mafia. Rather anyone who teams up with them on a criminal enterprise of some kind. They could be someone who does business with the Mafia, and someone who kills and does dirty work for the Mafia, including money-laundering, fraud, bookmaking, skimming, casino skimming, Extortion, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, Heists, truck hijacking, aircraft hijacking, bank robbery, murder, assault, bankers, bribing Cops, Judges, Jurors, District Attorneys, U.S. Attorneys, Lawyers, Politicians, Mayors, Governors, Government Officials, FBI Agents, DEA Agents, CIA Agents, ATF Agents, IRS Agents, EPA Agents. Extorting prostitutes, pimps, drug dealers, criminals, and streets gangs. Contract killing, witness intimidation, jury intimidation, killing jurors, Car bombing, bombing buildings and houses. and other criminal and organized crime activities etc. There are also the Italian newcomers who have yet to be made, called cugines, and they play a minor role in the operation of the Mafia. Associates can not turn down an order from the Mafia, if the Mafia gives them an order they have to follow it, and they are on call for the Mafia 24 hours every day. they are also fair game on the streets, they are not protected by the organization, unless they are a very important and valuable to the Mafia. Anybody can be an associate in the mafia, however only Italians and Sicilians can be made. Soldiers The lowest-ranking members of the hierarchy of the Mafia and La Cosa nostra are the soldiers, the grunts of the organization who do the majority of the work, making deliveries, picking up cash, committing murder, assault, battery, Bombing, witness intimidation, killing jurors, bribing Law Enforcement, Politicians, Government Officials, and Federal Agents for the Mafia, and generally sticking out their neck in the hope of making a name for themselves by demonstrating their loyalty to the organization, and protecting the organization at all costs. Children as young as seven have been made. Caporegimes The capo, or caporegime, is the captain or lieutenant of a division within the Mafia. He heads a large crew of soldiers and can order them to do anything, such as murder, assault, bombing, witness intimidation, bribery, picking up cash, making deliveries, and other criminal and organized crime activities. and the captains reports directly to a boss or underboss, who hands down the instructions. He ranks much higher in the hierarchy of the Mafia. He is also in charge of handling most money. Consigliere The consigliere, or chief advisor, is the Bosses right-hand man. The Consigliere is not officially part of the hierarchy of the Mafia, but he plays one of the most important roles in a crime family. He is the close trusted friend and confidant of the family boss. The function of the consigliere is a throwback to medieval times, when a monarch placed his trust in an advisor whom he could summon for strategic information and sound advice. The consigliere is meant to offer unbiased information based on what he sees as best for the family. He’s not supposed to factor emotional concerns, such as retaliation and blood feuds, into his decisions. Unlike the underboss (see below), the consigliere is not required to be a direct relative of the boss. Instead, he is chosen solely for his abilities and the amount of knowledge he possesses. Generally, only the boss and underboss have more authority than the consigliere in an organized crime family. Underboss The underboss, or capo bastone, is second-in-command in the hierarchy of the Mafia crime family. His level of authority varies from family to family, but he is ready to stand in for the boss at any given moment. In the violent, brutal, and volatile world of the mob, the underboss can easily find himself at the helm of the family so, for the most part, they are usually groomed for an eventual takeover, particularly if the boss’s health is failing or if it looks like he’s headed for a stay in the joint. A family may have two underbosses. An example of this was boss Carlo Gambino, who had Paul "Big Paul" Castellano and Aniello "Mr. Neil" Dellacroce as underboss at the same time. However, one underboss is far more common. Boss The boss, or capo famiglia, is head of the organization, the boss is a dictator and has the power to order anything from anyone in the organization. The Boss makes all the important decisions, much like a CEO of a company would. Although each mob boss may run his outfit in a different way, they have one thing in common: they are greatly respected and widely feared by their subordinates. All of the men in his outfit pay him a tribute, so he is also usually an extremely wealthy man. Most Bosses of the Mafia are Multi-Millionaires or Multi-Billionaires, and are incredibly powerful, influential, extremely dangerous, and universally feared. More commonly, the word "Don" may proceed his first or last name. Godfather It is a phrase used mainly by the media, public and the law enforcement community to indicate a supremely powerful crime boss in the Sicilian or American Mafia who holds great influence over the whole organization. The title was introduced to the U.S. public by the Kefauver Commission (1950). It has seldom been given to specific bosses because it could create tension between different factions (otherwise known as families) within the Mafia. Typically the title is awarded de facto to the boss of the most powerful Mafia family.